During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
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